While onlookers in Pennsylvania are bundled up, anxious to see what Punxsutawney Phil forecasts on February 2nd, here in Arizona, we have our own weather prognosticator. Agua Fria Freddie! Arizona’s Groundhog Day!
Agua Fria Freddie, the legendary rattlesnake comes out every year to predict the coming of spring. Whether you care or not, his accuracy is way better than his Pennsylvania counterpart. Freddie’s East Coast Weather Peer is only correct in his predictions 39% of the time since his first showing in 1887.
The legendary, yet lesser-known, Agua Fria Freddie lives right here in Arizona with a 98.8% accuracy rate.
Locals know him as Agua Fria Freddie, a shadow-seeking rattlesnake that comes out every year on February 2nd to predict the coming of Spring to us desert-dwellers.
This event is actually a non-event, as we cannot find record of any gathering to watch this legend search for his shadow. There are some legitimate reasons for not having an actual event to celebrate his findings this year.
- Tourists are already in shorts and t-shirts so they don’t care.
- Social-Distancing… Need we say more?
- Bill Murray was not available this year for the event.
- Nobody ever volunteers to get close enough to look for the shadow of a rattlesnake.
- The big party is at the Phoenix Open Golf Tournament
- Football fans are busy preparing for Super Bowl LV
Don’t let his cute little Heart-Shaped picture lure you in for a closer look.
It’s not difficult to predict when Spring will arrive in Arizona when the sun shines 300+ days a year, but it is comforting to know that Agua Fria Freddie is watching out for us.
Just watch out for him the other 364 days a year when you’re hiking around South Mountain in Phoenix.